The Théâtre Fémina or Salle Fémina was an entertainment venue located at 90 avenue des Champs-Élysées in the

8th arrondissement of Paris The 8th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, the arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le huitième'' (). The ar ...

. It was inside the Hôtel Fémina, designed by the architect .R. 1907, p. 460.

History

Based in the building of the publishing company of

Pierre Lafitte Pierre Lafitte (c. 1770–1821) was a pirate in the Gulf of Mexico and smuggler in the early 19th century. He also ran a blacksmith shop in New Orleans, his legitimate business. Pierre was historically less well known than his younger brother, J ...

, owner of the '' Femina'' magazine (hence the name), the room was inaugurated on 19 March 1907. Until 1911, it housed

Lugné-Poe Aurélien-Marie Lugné (27 December 1869 19 June 1940), known by his stage and pen name Lugné-Poe, was a French actor, theatre director, and scenic designer. He founded the landmark Paris theatre company, the Théâtre de l'Œuvre, which produce ...

and his

Théâtre de l'Œuvre The Théâtre de l'Œuvre () is a Paris theatre on the Right Bank, located at 3, Cité Monthiers, entrance 55, rue de Clichy, in the 9° arrondissement. It is commonly conflated and confused with the late-nineteenth-century theater company named ...

, before turning towards the light and operetta repertoire. It would close its doors in 1929, after the parent company has been sold in 1916 to 1918 to the

Hachette Hachette may refer to: * Hachette (surname) * Hachette Livre, a French publisher, the imprint of Lagardère Publishing ** Hachette Book Group, the American subsidiary ** Hachette Distribution Services, the distribution arm See also * Hachette Fil ...

group.

Direction

* André Gailhard * Lucien Richemont

Productions

* 1907: ''La Tragédie florentine'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, directed by

* 1907: ''Philista'' by Georges Battanchon, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1907: ''Le Droit au bonheur'' by Camille Lemonnier and Pierre Soulaine, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1907: ''Un rien'' de F. Valloton, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1907: ''À qui le tour ?'' by André de Lorde and Jean Marsèle, comedy in 1 act (10 may) * 1907: ''Le Baptême'' by Alfred Savoir and

Fernand Nozière Fernand is a masculine given name of French origin. The feminine form is Fernande. Fernand may refer to: People Given name * Fernand Augereau (1882–1958), French cyclist * Fernand Auwera (1929–2015), Belgian writer * Fernand Baldet (18 ...

, directed by Lugné-Poe, play in 3 acts (26 November) * 1907: ''Mendès est dans la salle'' by Léo Marchès and Clément Vautel, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1908: ''Les Jumeaux de Brighton'' by

Tristan Bernard Tristan Bernard (7 September 1866 – 7 December 1947) was a French playwright, novelist, journalist and lawyer. Life He studied law, and after his military service, he started his career as the manager of an aluminium smelter. In the 1890s, ...

, 3-act play (16 March) * 1908: ''L'Invitation à l'amour'' by Georges Loiseau, 1-act comedy (12 May) * 1908: ''Chérubin'' by Francis de Croisset, comedy in 3 acts (15 May) * 1908: ''L'Angoisse'' by François de Nion, comedy in 3 acts (19 May) * 1908: ''L'Engagement'' by Augustin de Riberolles, comédie de salon (27 May) * 1908: ''La Maison en ordre'' by

Arthur Wing Pinero Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (24 May 1855 – 23 November 1934) was an English playwright and, early in his career, actor. Pinero was drawn to the theatre from an early age, and became a professional actor at the age of 19. He gained experience as a ...

* 1908: ''La Loi'' by Daniel Jourda, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1908: ''Vae Victis'' by Marguerite Duterme, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1908: ''Les Amours d'Ovide'' by

André Mouëzy-Éon André Mouëzy-Éon (9 June 1880 – 23 October 1967) was a French dramatist, author of comedies, librettist, screenwriter and dialoguist. Biography André Mouëzy-Éon begins his career by writing short plays for the Théâtre de Cluny, loca ...

, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1908: ''Elektra'' by

Hugo von Hofmannsthal Hugo Laurenz August Hofmann von Hofmannsthal (; 1 February 1874 – 15 July 1929) was an Austrian novelist, libretto, librettist, Poetry, poet, Playwdramatist, narrator, and essayist. Early life Hofmannsthal was born in Landstraße, Vienna, th ...

, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1908: ''Le Jeu de la morale et du hasard'' by

, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1908: ''Le Libertaire'' by Olivier de Tréville, comedy in 1 act (6 November) * 1908: ''Au temps des fées'' by

Jacques Blanchard Jacques Blanchard (1600 – 1638), also known as Jacques Blanchart, was a French baroque painter who was born in Paris. He was raised and taught by his uncle, the painter (ca. 1560–1630). Jacques’s brother and son, Jean-Baptiste Blanchard ...

one-act play A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. The 20-40 minute play has emerged as a popular subgenre of the one-act play, especially in writi ...

, spectacle du

théâtre de l'Œuvre The Théâtre de l'Œuvre () is a Paris theatre on the Right Bank, located at 3, Cité Monthiers, entrance 55, rue de Clichy, in the 9° arrondissement. It is commonly conflated and confused with the late-nineteenth-century theater company named ...

(26 November) * 1908: ''Elektra'' by

(26 November) * 1908: ''PLe Tasse'' by Paul Souchon, drama in 5 acts, 3 December) * 1908: ''La Madone'' by

Paul Spaak Paul Louis François Spaak (5 July 1871 – 8 May 1936) was a Belgian lawyer, poet, literary historian, and playwright. Born in Ixelles, Spaak graduated in law at the Université libre de Bruxelles in 1894. On 22 July 1894, he married Marie J ...

, directed by Lugné-Poe, 2 acts (8 December) * 1908: ''Les Vieux'' by Pierre Rameil and Frédéric Saisset after Ignasi Iglesias, directed by Lugné-Poe (8 December) * 1908: ''La Dame qui n'est plus aux camélias'' by Maurice de Faramond, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1909: ''Perce-Neige et les Sept Gnomes'' by Jeanne Dortzal after

Grimm Grimm may refer to: People * Grimm (surname) * Brothers Grimm, German linguists ** Jacob Grimm (1785–1863), German philologist, jurist and mythologist ** Wilhelm Grimm (1786–1859), German author, the younger of the Brothers Grimm * Christia ...

, directed by Lugné-Poe (1 February) * 1909: ''L'Étau'' by André Sardou, play in 3 acts (4 April) * 1909: ''La Chaîne'' by M. Level and J. Monnier, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1909: ''Le Fardeau de la liberté'' by

, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1910: ''Fatalité !'' by Charlie d'Allegh and Paul Valdour,

(18 March) * 1910: ''Bigre !'', revue in 2 acts and 4 tableaux dy Rip and Jacques Bousquet (7 June) * 1910: '' La Sonate à Kreutzer'' by

and Alfred Savoir after Léon Tolstoï, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1910: ''Le Mauvais Grain'' by Maurice de Faramond, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1910: ''Le Poupard'' by Jean Bouvelet and Henry Bouvelet, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1911: ''Malazarte'' by Graça Aranha, directed by Lugné-Poe (19 February) * 1911: ''Bellone et Cupidon'' by Martin-Valdour and Charles Gallo, comedy in 1 act (23 February) * 1911: ''Impressions d'Afrique'', play in 4 acts by

Raymond Roussel Raymond Roussel (; 20 January 1877 – 14 July 1933) was a French poet, novelist, playwright, musician, and chess enthusiast. Through his novels, poems, and plays he exerted a profound influence on certain groups within 20th century French litera ...

after his novel (30 September) * 1911: '' Mais n'te promène donc pas toute nue !'' by

Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the Belle Époque era, remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parents and raised in a ...

(25 November) * 1911: ''Le Diamant'', comedy in 2 acts by Camille Le Senne and Léon Guillot de Saix after Carmonselle * 1912: ''Bianca Capello'', drama in 4 acts and 8 tableaux by Camille Le Senne and Léon Guillot de Saix (16 February) * 1912: ''L'Enjôleuse'', comedy in 3 acts by Xavier Roux and Maurice Sergine (10 October) * 1912: ''Tu vas un peu fort !'', comedy in 1 act by

Louis Verneuil Louis Jacques Marie Collin du Bocage (14 May 1893 – 3 November 1952), better known by the pen name Louis Verneuil, was a French playwright, screenwriter, and actor. Biography Born in Paris, Verneuil wrote approximately sixty plays and was b ...

(21 November) * 1913: ''L'Épate'', comedy in 3 acts by Alfred Savoir and André Picard (25 January) * 1913: ''Eh ! Eh !'', revue in 2 acts by Rip and Jacques Bousquet (5 April) * 1913: ''Cœur de femme'', comedy in 3 acts by Jean Conti * 1913: ''Alsace'' by

Gaston Leroux Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (; 6 May 186815 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (, 1909), which has been made int ...

and Lucien Camille (10 January) * 1913: ''Les Travaux d'Hercule'', opéra-bouffe in 3 acts by

Gaston Arman de Caillavet Gaston Arman de Caillavet (13 March 1869 – 13 January 1915) was a French playwright. Early life Gaston Arman de Caillavet was born on 13 March 1869. He was the son of Albert Arman de Caillavet and Léontine Lippmann. His maternal grandfath ...

and

Robert de Flers Robert Pellevé de La Motte-Ango, marquis de Flers (25 November 1872, Pont-l'Évêque, Calvados – 30 July 1927, Vittel) was a French playwright, opera librettist, and journalist. Pierre Barillet, ''Les Seigneurs du rire: Flers – Caillavet � ...

, music by

Claude Terrasse Claude Terrasse (27 January 1867 – 30 June 1923) was a French composer of operettas. Terrasse was born in L'Arbresle, Rhône. He became known by writing the music for the play ''Ubu Roi'' by Alfred Jarry in 1896. In Paris, his brother-in-law, t ...

* 1913: ''Paraphe Ier'', comedy in 3 acts by Louis Bénière (22 November) * 1913: ''Un jeune homme qui se tue'', comedy in 4 acts de Georges Berr (19 December) * 1914: ''Nocturne'', comedy in 1 act by

René Fauchois René Fauchois (31 August 1882 – 10 February 1962) was a French dramatist, librettist and actor. Stagestruck from his youth, he moved from his native Rouen to Paris as a teenager to pursue a stage career. He had early success both as an actor a ...

(3 March) * 1914: ''Très moutarde'', revue by Rip and Jacques Bousquet (3 April) * 1914: ''Don Juan'', fantaisie poétique et musicale in 2 tableaux by

Isidore de Lara Isidore de Lara, born Isidore Cohen (9 August 18582 September 1935), was an English composer and singer. After studying in Italy and France, he returned to England, where he taught for several years at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and ...

(9 June) * 1917 : ''La Légende de France'', spectacle au profit du Secours de guerre (21 January) * 1918: ''La Fausse Ingénue'',

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

in 2 acts by

Michel Carré Michel Carré (; 20 October 1821, Besançon – 27 June 1872, Argenteuil) was a prolific French librettist. He went to Paris in 1840 intending to become a painter but took up writing instead. He wrote verse and plays before turning to writing li ...

, music by

Charles Cuvillier Charles Cuvillier (24 April 1877 – 14 February 1955) was a French composer of operetta. He won his greatest successes with the operettas ''La reine s'amuse'' (1912, played as ''The Naughty Princess'' in London) and with '' The Lilac Domino'', w ...

(16 March) * 1919: ''Atavisme'', drama in 1 act by René Jeanne and Georges de Wissant * 1919: ''La Marche à l'étoile'', revue in 2 acts by Paul Marinier, Roger Ferréol, Charles-Alexis Carpentier (8 April) * 1919: ''Souris d'hôtel'', comedy in 4 acts by Marcel Gerbidon and Paul Armont (13 October) * 1919: ''Triplepatte'', comedy in 5 acts by

and André Godfernaux (18 December) * 1920: '' Mademoiselle ma mère'', comedy in 3 acts by

(24 February) * 1920: ''Une faible femme'', comedy in 3 acts by

Jacques Deval Jacques Deval (27 June 1895 – 19 December 1972) was a French playwright, screenwriter and film director. Novels *''Marie Galante'' (1931) Plays *''Une faible femme''; a comedy in three acts (1920) *''Dans sa candeur naïve''; a comedy in thre ...

(12 May) * 1920: ''Ma femme et son mari'', comedy in 3 acts by Lucien Mayrargue and Maxime Carel (6 July) * 1921: ''La Chauve-Souris'', compagnie théâtrale by

Nikita Balieff Nikita Fyodorovich Balieff (c. 1873 – September 3, 1936, born Mkrtich Balyan) was a Armenians in Russia, Russian Armenian vaudeville, vaudevillian, stage performer, writer, impresario, and director. He is best known as the creator and master o ...

(March–June) * 1921: ''Sin'' féerie chinoise by Maurice Magre (15 October) * 1922: ''Un chien dans un jeu de quilles'' comedy in 3 acts by

André de Fouquières André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries, as well in Portugal, ...

and Raymond Silva (19 January) * 1922: '' Le Prince travesti'' by

Marivaux Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux (; ; 4 February 1688 – 12 February 1763), commonly referred to as Marivaux, was a French playwright and novelist. Marivaux is considered one of the most important French playwrights of the 18th century, w ...

(21 February) * 1922: ''Le Reflet'', play in 4 acts by Pierre Frondaie (9 June) * 1922: ''Annabella'',

in 3 acts by Maurice Magre, music by

(8 November) * 1923: ''La Chauve-Souris'' compagnie théâtrale by

* 1923: ''L'Homme enchaîné'', play in 3 acts by

Édouard Bourdet Édouard Bourdet (Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 26 October 1887 – Paris, 17 January 1945) was a 20th-century French playwright. He was married to the poet, Catherine Pozzi; their son was Claude Bourdet. Plays *1910: ''Le Rubicon'' *1912: ''La Cage o ...

(7 novembre) * 1924: ''Le Printemps des autres'' by

Jean-Jacques Bernard Jean-Jacques Bernard (30 July 1888 – 14 September 1972) was a French playwright and the chief representative of what became known as ''l’école du silence'' or, as some critics called it, the ''art of the unexpressed'', in which the dialogue doe ...

, directed by Lugné-Poe * 1925: Troupe ''Les Macdona Players'', plays by

Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

(January) * 1925: ''Le Bel Amour'' by Edmond Sée, play in 3 acts (2 February) * 1925: ''Une femme'', comedy in 4 acts by

Edmond Guiraud Edmond Guiraud (22 March 1879 – 18 April 1961) was a 20th-century French playwright, librettist, and actor from the Cévennes region in southern France. Biographie Edmond Guiraud lived many years in Roquedur in the Gard department. He had a ...

(14 March) * 1925: ''Un ménage à la page'', comedy in 3 acts by Raoul Praxy (14 July) * 1925: Troupe de Gregorio Martinez-Sierra (October) * 1925: ''L'Homme d'un soir'', comedy in 3 acts and 4 tableaux by Denys Amiel and Charles Lafaurie (15 October) * 1926: ''L'Absolution'' by José Germain and Emmanuel Bourcier * 1926: ''Une mesure pour rien'', esquisse dramatique by Jean-Pierre Liausu (26 June) * 1927: ''Oidipous'', tragedy in 5 acts by Raymond Duncan (6 April) * 1927: ''L'Eunuque'', comedy in 3 acts by

Henri Duvernois Henri Duvernois (4 March 1875 in Paris - 30 January 1937 in Paris) was a French novelist, playwright and screenwriter. Filmography *''La Guitare et le Jazz-band'', directed by Gaston Roudès (1923, based on the play ''La Guitare et le Jazz-b ...

and André Birabeau * 1927: ''L'École de jazz'', comedy in 4 acts by

Claude Farrère Claude Farrère (), pseudonym of Frédéric-Charles Bargone (; 27 April 1876, in Lyon – 21 June 1957, in Paris), was a French Navy officer and writer. Many of his novels are based in exotic locations such as Istanbul, Saigon, or Nagasaki. On ...

and Dal Médico after ''Dancing Mothers'' by

Edgar Selwyn Edgar Selwyn (October 20, 1875 – February 13, 1944) was an American actor, playwright, director and producer on Broadway. A prominent figure in American theatre and film in the first half of the 20th century, he founded a theatrical pr ...

and

Edmund Goulding Edmund Goulding (20 March 1891 – 24 December 1959) was a British screenwriter and film director. As an actor early in his career he was one of the 'Ghosts' in the 1922 silent film '' Three Live Ghosts'' alongside Norman Kerry and Cyril Chadwic ...

(21 October) * 1928: ''L'Enfant prodigue'',

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

(21 May) * 1928: ''Neuf'', comedy in 4 acts by Lucien Mayrargue (1 September) * 1928: ''La Guêpe'' comedy in 3 acts by

Romain Coolus René Max Weill (25 May 1868 – 9 September 1952), who used the pseudonym Romain Coolus, was a French novelist, dramatist and film scriptwriter. Biography Works Theater * 1893 : ''Le Ménage Brésile'' (first play), one-act comedy, at ...

(4 October) * 1928: ''The Inca of Perusalem'' by

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

(29 December) * 1929: ''Fragile'' by

André Lang André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese form of the name Andrew and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French-speaking countries, as well in Portugal, ...

* 1929: ''En eau trouble'', comedy en 3 acts by André-Marie Gossart and André Richard (February) * 1929: ''Trio'', comedy in 3 acts by Albert Sablons after the novel by Paul Reboux (22 February) * 1929: ''Le roi boit'', comedy in 3 acts by Raoul Praxy (25 June) * 1929: ''Les Transfuges'', play in 4 acts by

Alfred Fabre-Luce Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

(22 October) * 1929: ''The Road to Rome'' by Robert Emmett Sherwood (22 November) * 1929: ''The Torch Bearers'' by George Kelly (7 December) * 1929: ''The Barker'' by Kenyon Nicholson (23 December)

Gallery

File:Concert announcement for the Salle Fémina in Paris, 26 May 1908 – Le Guide musical – Google Books 2006.jpg, Announcement for the Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux conducted by

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

and Louis Hasselmans, 1908 File:Programme Fémina Paris 1911.jpg, Program for a dance performance by

Loie Fuller Loie Fuller (; born Marie Louise Fuller; January 15, 1862 – January 1, 1928), also known as Louie Fuller and Loïe Fuller, was an American dancer and a pioneer of modern dance and theatrical lighting techniques. Auguste Rodin said of her, "Lo ...

in 1911 File:Hôtel Fémina in 'La Construction moderne' 1907 p461 (basement-floor plan) – Google Books 2014.jpg, Theatre plan File:Hôtel Fémina in 'La Construction moderne' 1907 p461 (ground-floor plan) – Google Books 2014.jpg, Theatre plan at balcony level

References

Bibliography

* Chauveau, Philippe (1999). ''Les théâtres parisiens disparus, 1402–1986''. Paris: Éditions de l'Amandier. . * R., A. L. (1907). "Hôtel Fémina aux Champs Élysées", ''La Construction moderne'', vol. 22
no. 39 (29 June 1907), pp. 460–465no. 40 (6 July 1907), pp. 472–475
an
plates 96–100
(at Google Books).

External links

Le théâtre Femina sur ''Les Archives du spectacle''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theatre Femina Paris Femina Buildings and structures in the 8th arrondissement of Paris